If you spend enough time in a hospital you may notice a door with a simple index card-sized picture of a fallen leaf on a door. No words accompany it to give a clue to its purpose. It just sits quietly at eye height, silent, serene, and somehow beautiful in its simplicity and unexpectedness. But why on this door?
As it turns out, this card with no words speaks volumes to those who know its meaning. The card is used to mark a room in which there has been a death. It serves as a warning and reminder to staff that enter the room that it is a sacred space of grief and mourning and to enter with an understanding of the trauma that has occurred and respect for the emotion you may encounter. It offers a reminder to enter with a consciousness of the special needs of those within.
Nowhere is this sign more important than in the labor and delivery unit, where most patients are joyful and celebratory. It is quite usual for staff to offer congratulations or ask after the new baby in these rooms. And you can of course imagine the pain those words or actions could inflict on a newly grieving parent.
Fallen Leaf Fallen. Drifting aimlessly on a sea of grief and pain, the leaf cradles a teardrop. Offers refuge. Embodies hope. Just as winter awakens to spring, our deepest sorrow harbors the seed of hope renewed. Hope renewed. - by Susan Ring
So now you too know the meaning of the fallen leaf. It is a knowledge that will forever change you. You can never un-know what you now know, and the price you must pay for knowing is steep. You will no longer be able to pass a door with that card on it in ignorance of the pain it announces.
I pray you never find yourself in the room behind the fallen leaf, but if you do, know that it is there as a protection, and in honor of your experience. And feel free to take it with you when you leave, to save it as a reminder of the care and consideration offered to you. There is a lovely poem printed on the back.
If you pass a door with a fallen leaf, I hope you pause and send some loving thoughts to the people inside.
Leave a Reply